These healthy diet tips are from people who really know the importance of a balanced lifestyle, so if you want to fit into that dream dress this year, then take a look at the ideas and suggestions below:

Make your food look & taste nice

If you make your food delicious and add variety to your meals you’re more likely to enjoy it and stick to it. Don’t make healthy eating a chore.

Consistency is key

Things take time and changes don’t happen overnight. Just trust what you’re doing is right and keep going, even when it feels hard.

Do work outs and activities that you actually enjoy

Don’t force yourself to do exercises you hate. You’re more likely to stick to it if you’re looking forward to it rather than dreading it. You aren’t just limited to the gym or jogging, spinning, group HIIT workouts and swimming are all great ways to stay fit.

Set achievable goals

Set yourself realistic goals that are achievable in a reasonable time frame. Setting a goal to drop several dress sizes in a few short weeks is too far fetched and will only lead to loss of motivation when you realise it’s unachievable.

Don’t be too restrictive

Treat yourself every now and then! This doesn’t mean eat really well all week and then binge like crazy at the weekend. Allow yourself a treat every so often, like sampling wedding cake tasters or trying out the cocktails for the reception. After all your hard work it will allow you to develop a healthy relationship with food.

Eat MORE!

Diets that are too low in calories are difficult to sustain and means weight loss will quickly stall as they put your body in an incredibly stressed state and suppress your fat burning hormones. Therefore make sure you’re eating enough every day.

Concentrate your carbs

Concentrate your carbohydrate intake around the 90 minutes window in which you are training and avoid consuming carbohydrate for breakfast.

Ditch those sugary breakfast cereals!

Be picky with your food

Try and stick to whole food sources and avoid any processed foods. Things like meats, fish, eggs, nuts, grains, fruit & vegetables are all much better for you and can taste amazing too.

Tips on how to stay on track

Dream big, but start small

The key is to start small and build a habit first. Instead of making a resolution to lose half a stone this year, start by creating a habit to reach that goal – such as making a resolution to swap your morning cup of tea and biscuits for a pot of low fat Greek yogurt.

Keep a food diary

Unless you consciously track everything you’ve eaten in a day, it’s easy to forget about the little extras that seem to sneak into our diet. Writing down what you’re eating will make you think twice before grazing mindlessly on snacks throughout the day.

Take a ‘selfie’

Whether you share it or not, take a weekly picture in the same mirror, wearing the same clothing, and by comparing the pictures from week to week you will notice the gradual changes your body is making. This should help you with sizing dresses too.

Schedule a date with a gym

Plan your workouts a week in advance and put them in your diary. It can be easy to consider your workout as less of a priority over work, family and social commitments. However, working out is just as important as many other responsibilities in our lives as it is essential for maintaining and improving both our physical and mental health.

Find a ‘swolemate’

Tell your friends and family about your goals and ask them to get involved and support you. It could be that some of your bridesmaids are also planning on getting healthy for the big day so why not do it together and support one another? By training together you can keep each other motivated and celebrate your achievements together.